BACKGROUND: Up to 20 million persons are infected with the human retroviruses human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I and HTLV-II globally. Most data on the seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Europe are from studies of low-risk blood donors or high-risk injection drug users (IDUs). Little is known about the general population. METHODS: A prospective anonymous study of HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence among 234,078 pregnant women in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom was conducted. Maternal antibody status was determined by standard methods using sera obtained for routine antenatal infection screens or eluted from infant heel prick dried blood spots obtained for routine neonatal metabolic screens. RESULTS: Anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies were detected and confirmed in 96 pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.5-5.2). Of these, 73 were anti-HTLV-I, 17 were anti-HTLV-II, and 6 were specifically anti-HTLV but untyped. The seroprevalence ranged from 0.7 per 10,000 in Germany to 11.5 per 10,000 in France. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women better reflect the general population than blood donors or IDUs. The seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Western Europe is 6-fold higher among pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000) than among blood donors (0.07 per 10,000). These data provide a robust baseline against which changes in HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence in Europe can be measured.
BACKGROUND: Up to 20 million persons are infected with the human retroviruses human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV)-I and HTLV-II globally. Most data on the seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Europe are from studies of low-risk blood donors or high-risk injection drug users (IDUs). Little is known about the general population. METHODS: A prospective anonymous study of HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence among 234,078 pregnant women in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom was conducted. Maternal antibody status was determined by standard methods using sera obtained for routine antenatal infection screens or eluted from infant heel prick dried blood spots obtained for routine neonatal metabolic screens. RESULTS: Anti-HTLV-I/II antibodies were detected and confirmed in 96 pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.5-5.2). Of these, 73 were anti-HTLV-I, 17 were anti-HTLV-II, and 6 were specifically anti-HTLV but untyped. The seroprevalence ranged from 0.7 per 10,000 in Germany to 11.5 per 10,000 in France. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women better reflect the general population than blood donors or IDUs. The seroprevalence of HTLV-I and HTLV-II in Western Europe is 6-fold higher among pregnant women (4.4 per 10,000) than among blood donors (0.07 per 10,000). These data provide a robust baseline against which changes in HTLV-I and HTLV-II seroprevalence in Europe can be measured.
Authors: A Cucca; L Stragapede; L Antonutti; M Catalan; I Caracciolo; Romina Valentinotti; A Granato; P D'Agaro; P Manganotti Journal: J Neurovirol Date: 2016-05-31 Impact factor: 2.643
Authors: Jorge O Alarcón; Heidi B Friedman; Silvia M Montano; Joseph R Zunt; King K Holmes; Gerald V Quinnan Journal: J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Date: 2006-08-15 Impact factor: 3.731
Authors: A B F Carneiro-Proietti; M S Amaranto-Damasio; C F Leal-Horiguchi; R H C Bastos; G Seabra-Freitas; D R Borowiak; M A Ribeiro; F A Proietti; A S D Ferreira; M L Martins Journal: J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc Date: 2014-09 Impact factor: 3.164
Authors: Maria de Fátima Castro Mendes; José de Ribamar Oliveira Lima; Bruna de Oliveira de Melo; Conceição de Maria Fernandes da Silva Pinto; Hermerson Sousa Maia; Thiago Azevedo Feitosa Ferro; Silvio Gomes Monteiro; Edel Figueiredo Barbosa Stancioli; Maria Rosa Quaresma Bomfim Journal: Braz J Microbiol Date: 2020-01-28 Impact factor: 2.476